Dad Is Fat

"In Dad is Fat, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, who's best known for his legendary riffs on Hot Pockets, bacon, manatees, and McDonald's, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children--everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to toddlers' communication skills ("they always sound like they have traveled by horseback for hours to deliver important news"), to the eating habits of four year olds ("there is no difference between a four year old eating a taco and throwing a taco on the floor"). Reminiscent of Bill Cosby's Fatherhood, Dad is Fat is sharply observed, explosively funny, and a cry for help from a man who has realized he and his wife are outnumbered in their own home"-- Provided by publisher.

Jim Gaffigan is either crazy or brave to raise five children in a two-bedroom New York apartment. Taking all on an outing to the park, or anywhere else, on the subway is an adventure. And his brood is too many to legally fit in a New York cab. This is not as hilarious as “Food: A Love Story” but still worth the listen.

I have read over 70 books just in this calendar year (2016) but no book has been as funny and has brought me as much unmitigated enjoyment as Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan. The fact that this audiobook is read by the author in his inimitable style is definitely a huge bonus.

This book is a series of essays, mostly quite short. He makes it adequately clear in the foreword. If you have seen Jim Gaffigan do his stand up routines, a lot of his material is about food and how he loves eating. There is no shortage of food references in this book, but this mostly centers around parenting. Having a toddler at home at the time of reading this, I had a really strong sense of identification with most of the vignettes he describes, which is why this was so much fun. Of course Jim Gaffigan has 5 children and lives in an apartment in New York City - which by itself helps create a lot of unusual material for his comedy. His vivid descriptions, use of analogies and deadpan delivery style make him totally stand out as a comedian in general but definitely in this book.

A word of caution if you plan to listen to the audiobook version - I had so many fits of laughing listening to this, I was worried I might get distracted while driving. So if you are listening to the audio version make sure you are in a place where you can laugh without abandon, and at the same time without endangering or annoying other people.

When I recommend books I always qualify my recommendation with mention of the appropriate audience that might enjoy the book. This one is an exception - not only do I recommend this unqualified to everyone, I actually intend to make my friends and family listen to it.

While I didn't enjoy the fact that this book duplicates a lot of Gaffigan's more popular stand-up, it did still provide a few new laughs here and there. I always enjoy humor audiobooks read by the author themselves and this one didn't disappoint in delivering a lighthearted audiobook for my commute. Overall I didn't love it or hate it.

This book felt like a cross between a living room conversation and a typical Jim Gaffigan stand-up routine. I'm a huge fan of his style of comedy ("Hot Pockets", anyone?), and his book kept me laughing with his wonderful flavor of humor.

I don’t even have children of my own, but I couldn’t get enough of stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan’s child-rearing escapades. His observations and insights are honest, heartfelt, and hilarious, and the audiobook version is fantastic. Kids really do say the darnedest things, but so do parents!

bnotash70
Sep 30, 2013

This guy has 5 kids under 10 in NYC 5th floor walkup apt in the Bowery, and is a funny guy, a little repetitious, but enjoyed his reading of his own book.